Remodeling a kitchen is an incredibly huge undertaking that involves a vast array of details to consider, decide on and oversee their implementation. If you’re not prepared it can seem a bit overwhelming but here are some of the things you can expect and prepare for during your kitchen remodel.

Obviously the first step is to decide on the budget for your kitchen remodel. A good rule of thumb is about 15% of your home’s current market value. For a more detailed breakdown of this you can check out my blog posting: Estimating Your Kitchen Remodeling Costs.

Keep in mind that there will ALWAYS be additional expenses so try to plan your budget on 80% of what you want your total budget to actually be. Your remodeling costs can be broken down into two main categories: the labor and installation that your contractor will charge and then the materials you select.

The materials you select will be your biggest remodeling costs and where you have the most choice and where you have the most probability of going over budget.

For help with this you can check out my eBook Remodeling Recon Kitchens Edition that will give you comprehensive information on the materials and their price ranges and give you a more realistic way to estimate your remodeling costs and will give you a lot of ideas for planning your kitchen design and layout which is the next step in the process.

The planning of your kitchen design and layout is rarely a one step process so don’t expect to get it exactly the way you want it all in one shot. It’s a slowly evolving process which continually changes as you keep refining it. It’s a good idea to sit with an idea for a while to see how it feels and fits with your kitchen designs. Make sure the layout flows with how you work in the kitchen.
After you’ve fine tuned your kitchen design and have it all planned out the next stage ordering all the materials. Making sure you cover all the details and order everything needed is very important.

If you miss something and have to reorder it can delay your remodel quite a bit….sometimes by weeks and the last thing you want to do is give your contractor an opportunity to get busy on someone else’s project during the delay and then put your project on the back burner….although not all delays are controllable.

Another thing to be prepared for and expect are the unforeseen delays. In most any job there are unforeseen delays outside of the contractor’s control that can, and usually do, come up…things like out of stock materials on backorder, faulty existing construction that’s discovered that needs to be brought to code that couldn’t be seen or known about until after walls or floors are opened up after the remodeling project has already gotten underway or weather delays to name of the few of the things that could cause delays outside the contractor’s control.

The next stage involves demolition or deconstruction of the existing cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring and lighting…depending on the extent of your remodel and what you’ve decided to replace. It’s going to get really messy so just be prepared for that and just make peace with the fact that there’s going to be dust everywhere even after the demolition process is finished. You can count on the whole place being dusty and messy for most of the duration of the construction.

Actually during the entire remodel you shouldn’t expect neatness from your contractor. Believe it or not, it is sometimes a lot more efficient to leave things lying where they’ll next be used. It will be messy so just prepare accordingly.

Just make sure you spell out in your contract that the jobsite will be cleaned up at the end of the job.

You can cover up furniture that you want to protect from dust and will need to either plan on eating out during the remodel or setting up a temporary kitchen elsewhere. Also not expecting any problems to come up is unrealistic. There will be some problems. Weather delays, employees quitting, and more will happen. Having problems is okay, but it’s not okay if the contractor can’t work out the issues to your satisfaction.

Make sure you have a good working relationship with your contractor.
Knowing what to expect and prepare for during your kitchen renovation can make the entire remodel experience less overwhelming and stressful and it can even be a fun and exciting experience.

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Lyptus wood is a hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urophylla and is grown in managed forests in Brazil. Each forest is planted on land that was once used for agricultural purposes and barren of trees. The Lyptus trees grow interspersed with other trees indigenous to the region to help preserve the area’s native ecosystem and increase biodiversity.

Due to the warm climate in Brazil, Lyptus trees grow quickly enabling forest management professionals to harvest trees in 15 years versus the 50 to 70 years required in colder regions. And Lyptus trees can be regenerated after being harvested, without the need for replanting or disturbing the forest floor.

Cabinet makers and contractors love working with Lyptus citing that it machines well and does not fuzz like Mahogany. It sands well and definitely finishes very well. The look is great and a person would have a hard time distinguishing a finished part from Mahogany, plus you get a little different look than the ordinary wood selections.

The reason Mahogany is so well loved is that Mahogany is strong, beautiful and it has outstanding durability. Mahogany has a very fine and even texture and is a medium density hardwood that is a beautiful dark reddish brown color.

Once so plentiful that it was used as ballasts in ships returning to Europe from the New World Mahogany is now a rare and protected hardwood making it one of the most expensive woods as well, and also since it is in short supply, fewer cabinet manufacturers even offer it in their selections of woods and are instead starting to offer more eco-friendly alternatives like Lyptus and Bamboo.

As far as density, strength and technical properties go, compared to similar woods, its hardness rating is greater than white oak, mahogany, jatoba, red oak, hard maple or beech. It looks a LOT like mahogany but at a quarter of price.

It accepts all common types of finishing, including water and solution-based lacquers, various types of pigments, and oil and wax. This makes it well suited for diverse high-end applications like furniture, cabinets, flooring and architectural millwork.

Similar to Brazilian cherry, purpleheart and several other woods, the color will turn a rich cherry red and will even-out well.

You can have incredibly beautiful kitchen cabinets, countertops or flooring that look like Mahogany while still being kind to the environment. Lyptus is a great eco friendly wood that should definitely be considered.

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One of the hottest new trends in kitchen designs and remodeling in general for that fact is the outdoor kitchen and outdoor entertainment centers. The general lifestyle and entertaining habits throughout the US is starting to see some interesting changes. More and more people are beginning to entertain more at home rather than going out.

Whether this is based on the economy, rising gas prices or the age demographic of the majority of homeowners isn’t clear but what is clear is that outdoor kitchens are a really hot trend right now and are actually a really great return on investment… Depending on the complexity and functionality of your kitchen designs, you can actually make money on outdoor kitchens, as much as 200% or more of the initial cost in some cases.

Currently the national average return on investment for a minor kitchen remodel is around 81% and even less for a major kitchen remodel coming in at only 70% but outdoor kitchens are between 130% - 200% if you do it right.

So what is doing it right? What are the major components needed for a really awesome outdoor kitchen?

Today’s outdoor kitchens are far more sophisticated than a simple charcoal grill and patio furniture. Outdoor kitchens today often incorporate a bar and a living/dining room look and feel.

Just because the kitchen is outside doesn’t mean you thrown out traditional design principles …the same design principles still apply and function is still one of the most important considerations. One of the most functional working designs is the kitchen work triangle.

A kitchen work triangle has the kitchen sink in one tip of the triangle, the center of the cooktop or range in another tip of the triangle and the center of the refrigerator in the other tip of the triangle. It might be impossible or simply impractical to achieve this in an outdoor setting, depending on your focal point, orientation and existing structures but whatever layout you decide to go with there are always ways to make it functional.

If you have a long straight line:

an L-shape:

or a U-shape:

then consider placing workstations in progression. For example, first place the sink, then next a preparation area, then the cooking area adjacent to that. It’s important that there is enough countertop space for prep and serving.

Orientation of the kitchen is another important consideration and should ideally be based on a focal point such as a great view, a fireplace or a swimming pool but if you don’t have any of these features you can create your focal point from your space and design planning.

Creating a nice lounging space is important too so incorporating multiple seating areas wherever you can is a big plus.

Easy access to the inside is a key consideration, since most items will have to come from and return to the indoor kitchen.

Some of the must have features to include in an outdoor kitchen would be of course a grill and cooktop and there are a lot of options ranging from gas and charcoal grills to wood burning ovens.

Pictured below is an all in one module:

Then of course any outdoor kitchen would not be complete without a sink and refrigerator but you might also consider a wine refrigerator and if you really want to get all the conveniences then you could also include a dishwasher too…just make sure they are all made for the outdoors.

Some outdoor kitchens even have waterproof flat screen TVs and sound systems.

Outdoor kitchens are not only a spot for family and friends to gather and enjoy good food and good company…it’s also a very smart investment in the value of your home.

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Color touches us on a very deep intuitive level. Whether you realize it or not, colors speak very loud to our subconscious and have a positive or negative reaction within 90 seconds.

The colors you select for a room will impact you on a very deep level every time you spend time in that room so consciously choosing the colors for a room with this in mind is very important.

When it comes to selecting the color scheme for your kitchen designs whatever color palette you decide to go with a good guideline for using color is to have a 60-30-10 split between three different colors. 60% representing the main or dominant color, probably on the walls or kitchen cabinets, 30% of a secondary color used in the flooring or rugs, as well as window treatments and 10% for accents such as, dishes, artwork, pillows, curtains and such.

A monochromatic color scheme is when you use various shades and tones of the same color. You can still use the 60-30-10 rule here.

Complimentary color schemes are when you use two different colors that are opposite to each other on the color wheel such as red and green, blue and orange and yellow and purple, etc.

An analogous color scheme is when you use three colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel in either the cool or warm colors. Some examples would be color combinations such as green, blue and purple or yellow, orange and red.

The neutral tones include browns, beiges, taupes, black, whites and grays. These tones provide a flexible neutral background for furnishings and can be paired with almost any color as an accent.

The color scheme is not just what colors you paint on the walls but also include your kitchen cabinets, your kitchen countertops, your kitchen appliances, the flooring material and your kitchen backsplash. It also includes your rugs and curtains and hand towels, plants and artwork. The kitchen cabinets will probably be your biggest span of color throughout your kitchen designs and would probably represent the main dominant color in your 60-10-30 color split.

Kitchen cabinets are usually, but not always, a neutral color, so you have more freedom in choosing the color palette because neutrals go with most anything. The brightest or most dramatic color in the color scheme is where the eye will go first so you’ll want to make sure it is worthy of being the focal point and where you want to draw attention to.

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I’ve recently stumbled across another really cool new product on the market… glass kitchen sinks. Glass has been used as a material for bathroom sinks for quite a while but never really as a kitchen sink material…until now.

My first reaction was WOW! Then my second reaction was “Are You Crazy?” Understandably one of the main concerns anyone would have would be about durability. The main questions obviously are how will a glass kitchen sink stand up to changes in water temperature and chemical cleaners, not to mention the shock of physical objects dropped into the sink itself? Who would want a kitchen sink you have to handle with kid gloves?

Some companies offering glass kitchen sinks have addressed these issues and have come up with a material that is a unique form of borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass is the oldest glass known to show high resistance to sudden temperature changes. In fact, borosilicate is the glass of choice for refrigerator and oven cookware.

It first came into commercial prominence when Corning marketed a type of borosilicate glass known as Pyrex. The glass material these companies have come up with is non-porous and non-absorptive, making it impervious to the common elements as well as to many chemicals and liquids. It is exceptionally resistant to abrasion and surface scratches, and it is fatigue-proof.

Pictured below are some of the glass kitchen sinks from Oceana.

These sinks can withstand repeated temperature changes between 0° and 212° F without damage and are highly resistant to chemical corrosives and can be cleaned with any commonly used household or commercial strength product. They also won’t become cloudy or rust over time.

The companies offering glass kitchen sinks claim their glass sinks require no more special treatment than a standard porcelain sink and say they are tough enough to withstand the wear and tear of everyday life while remaining beautiful. Realistically, however, a heavy object such as a cast iron or soapstone pot will crack a glass kitchen sink, just as it would a porcelain sink.

Personally I would still probably consider them for a prep sink or a bar sink…I’m still not entirely convinced about having the main kitchen sink be made out of glass because I do need a sink that will stand up to heavy pots and pans abuse but I think this is a really great idea and this gives a whole new array of options and possibilities in kitchen designs.

It might be perfect for someone who doesn’t cook a lot or for someone like a friend of mine who uses her dishwasher as a filing cabinet…..But I still think it’s a really cool product that’s worth checking out.

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The valve is the heart of the faucet and controls the volume of water. There are four types of faucet valves:

Compression valves

Compression valve faucets have been in use the longest and are the least expensive type. They are identifiable by their separate hot and cold water handles and their action requiring you to tighten the handles down to close off the water flow.

Compression faucets work by using a compression stem which is a type of glorified screw with a washer at the end of it pressing against a valve seat.

When the handle is turned it raises or lowers a stem. At the base of the stem a washer or seal opens or closes the water’s passageway. They always have two controls, hot and cold. The washers are most often rubber washers and are more prone to leaking and dripping but are fairly easy to fix.

Ball Valves

Ball faucets are very common in kitchen sinks and were the first type of washerless faucet. They are identifiable by their single handle which moves over a rounded ball shaped cap right above the base of the faucet spout.

The plastic or metal ball inside the faucet body and under the ball shaped cap has chambers or slots in it which control the flow and mixing temperature of the water coming from the faucet. The ball’s slots line up with cold and hot water inlet seats in the faucet body to regulate the amount of incoming water allowed to reach the mixing spout.

Ball valves have no washer, require less maintenance and are inexpensive to replace but because of the number of parts which make up this type of faucet, ball faucets tend to leak more than other washerless faucets such as the cartridge or the ceramic disk type.

Cartridge

Cartridge faucets operate with a movable stem cartridge that moves up and down to regulate flow. They are identifiable more by how they feel when they operate than how they look. As opposed to a ball faucet that you push back to turn on, a single handle cartridge faucet operates in an “up/down” motion to adjust water volume and a “left/right” motion for temperature.

Similarly, a two handle stem cartridge faucet looks almost indistinguishable from a compression type washer faucet. However, again, you can tell the difference by how the handles feel when used.

A compression faucet requires you to tighten down (compress) the washer to close the water flow. With a cartridge faucet, the action is smooth and consistent. When the handle gets to the off position, the faucet turns off without added pressure being required as with a compression faucet.

Cartridge or washerless faucets use a hollow plastic and brass cartridge insert instead of a rubber disc, which doesn’t wear out nearly as quickly. The cartridge seals against the inside of the faucet body with O-rings. These faucets are more reliable and provide better value than compression faucets.

The washerless cartridge faucet eliminates the leaks associated with washers. It also features a one piece, self contained assembly. Fewer parts mean that there are fewer things to go wrong. Replacement with the cartridge is easy – just take out the old and drop in the new without the hassles of many complicated components.

Ceramic Disk

This is the highest quality valve. They are identifiable by their single lever over a wide cylindrical body.

These faucets have a wide cartridge housing two ceramic discs which slide over each other to control water flow and mixing temperature.

Ceramic disc valving utilizes two fire hardened ceramic discs: an upper disc that moves and a fixed lower disc. The two discs move against each other in a shearing action, blocking water or allowing it to pass through. The seal between the two discs is watertight because they are polished to near-perfect flatness.

Hardened ceramic is a durable material which is virtually indestructible and is guaranteed not to wear out but is obviously much more expensive than the ball valve or compression valve. Should you need to fix it, your cost will be higher, but the likelihood is slim to none. For the most durable faucet go with a solid brass base material and a ceramic disk valve.

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Kitchen backsplash ideas are truly endless in possibilities. In fact there are so many kitchen backsplash ideas and designs that it can be overwhelming and possibly even lead to decision paralysis when trying to figure out and design your kitchen backsplash.

Your ultimate goal obviously is to integrate your kitchen back splash ideas with all the other elements in your kitchen design so that it goes with the established theme or style you have going on in your design.

The worst mistake in kitchen designs can be having too many different styles and themes going on in one space. Having too many different styles and themes going on in one space not only looks incoherent and confusing but creates a disoriented feeling in the space and is uncomfortable to spend time in as well.

Some of the more popular styles and themes include Old World style, Mediterranean, Tuscan, Country and Farm style, Contemporary and Eclectic and provide a multitude of kitchen backsplash ideas to choose from.

If you have countertop that has interesting color movement in it and is a focal point of the kitchen then you wouldn’t want a busy kitchen backsplash competing for attention. Intricate designs and patterns in a kitchen backsplash work best with kitchen countertops that have a solid color or subtle and uniform color patterns.

Some other kitchen backsplash ideas can include picture frame styles, usually above the cooktop area, created from hand painted tiles to create a mural of sorts or pictures created from mosaics.

If you’re more contemporary then you have great materials like stainless steel, glass and solid color stone or tiles in sleek simple lines and smooth surfaces to create more of a modern urban feel to the kitchen.

If you’re more into the old world style with aged materials there are ready made murals in bronze and other various metals that might make for an interesting kitchen backsplash.

Some other kitchen backsplash ideas that fit into the old world style would be tumbled or reclaimed stone, murals and mosaics.

Whatever kitchen backsplash ideas you might have keep in mind that the basic color pallet should start with what’s already happening in the kitchen countertops and cabinets and compliment their basic color scheme. The kitchen countertops and cabinets used to trump the kitchen backsplash and be the true stars of the kitchen design but that’s not always true with some of the amazing backsplashes that are available these days…with a little creativity the backsplash can definitely hold its own.

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When planning a kitchen renovation part of the process will be designing the kitchen layout. Maybe for inspiration you might look through magazines, go to kitchen design centers or even check out my Kitchens Edition Remodeling Recon eBook to get some amazing ideas for kitchens. Whatever the process, you might find something that just looks absolutely stunning and say, “I want THAT kitchen!!” It’s easy to get enamored and swept away and forget to give notice to the practical details of your everyday use in the kitchen.

In the long run, though, the functionality of your kitchen designs will be the difference between loving your kitchen or being extremely frustrated with things. For example, if there aren’t enough kitchen cabinets to store everything you use in the kitchen and you have to squeeze and pile things up in them just to get everything you need into them it will be frustrating trying to access items you need without going through a big ordeal…and think about this as a daily occurrence.

Or if you don’t have enough countertop space for the type of food preparation that you need to do you might end up spending a lot of time going back and forth between the refrigerator and stove and back again to the prep space, which might be great for burning calories, but then again might also be a nuisance and waste a lot of time that you don’t have.

Or another consideration might be if you prep a lot of foods that could stain certain types of countertops, finding a countertop material that isn’t easily stained by acids and alkalis or one that can be easily renewed should be a priority.

Or if you use lots of large types of pots and pans is the sink large enough to accommodate the types and sizes of pots and pans that you use daily? Is the dishwasher located near the storage cupboards or would you have to trek across the kitchen to unload the dishwasher and put things away?

So when planning your kitchen renovation, to make sure you get a kitchen design that will work for you and how you work in your kitchen, one of the first things you should do is to look at and assess how you use your current kitchen. What works for you right now and what doesn’t work? What are some of the features you love about your current kitchen and what are some of the things you really don’t love and want to change?

Getting clear about how you really use your kitchen and what you need in your kitchen designs to accommodate the functionality will help you have a kitchen that is beautiful in both design and function and be a kitchen you can truly love.

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When you’re getting ready to shop for your kitchen counter tops be aware that some materials such as granite and quartz and other natural and engineered stone materials are priced per square foot and other materials such as laminate are priced per linear foot. Remember this difference when you shop. Since most countertops are about 2 feet deep, simply multiply the square foot price by 2 to estimate the cost per linear foot.

Typical kitchen counter tops are anywhere between 28 and 30 linear feet. Most likely they will be either a U-shape or L-shape layout. Laminate counters are sold by the linear foot, but other materials such as solid surfacing, natural stone, and engineered stone are sold by the square foot.
It’s all in the options

There is a vast difference in price between a basic, post-formed laminate countertop, a laminate countertop with a premium edge, and top-end options like solid surfacing and stone.

For a typical 30-foot linear countertop, a post-form laminate top might cost as little as $800. For a premium laminate with a beveled edge, the price could go up to $2,000. For solid surfacing, natural stone or engineered stone, which would be priced between $80 and $100 per square foot, you’re looking at $4,800 to $6,000. Prices listed are guidelines only so always verify prices for the materials you select with your retailer or installer.

With laminates much of the cost of a is the labor: fabrication and installation. With laminate countertops, labor costs are separate from materials costs. That’s why it’s important to work with a fabricator and installer you feel good about, who has a good business reputation, and whose bid is realistic.

This isn’t the case for pricing natural stone, engineered stone and solid surfacing materials. The square foot costs for natural stone, quartz countertops and solid surfacing countertop material include the fabrication and the installation, so you have less opportunity to price shop or compare installation bids from separate contractors or fabricators.

When estimating the entire remodeling costs be sure to include all the components involved with the countertop installation. A total countertop job takes into account the material itself, profiling the edge, cutting and drilling for sinks and faucets, the installation itself, and often, removing the old top. When calculating your remodeling costs you need to compare the “total installed” costs when shopping for new countertops to avoid any unpleasant surprises in your remodeling costs and keep from going over budget.

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When you’re planning a kitchen remodel the geography of your kitchen and the surrounding areas is definitely something that requires some thought and special planning. The way you work in the kitchen needs to be thought out and planned for. One of the most functional working designs is the kitchen work triangle.

A kitchen work triangle has the kitchen sink in one tip of the triangle, the center of the cooktop or range in another tip of the triangle and the center of the refrigerator in the other tip of the triangle. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association the triangle formed by these appliances should total 26 feet or less for maximum efficiency.

It’s also highly recommended that you don’t have any appliances, cabinet doors or entries to the space block each other when you open them. If you have a kitchen island then also make sure that any appliances or doors across from the island don’t hit the kitchen island when they open.

Most kitchen plans now are designed with an open space between the kitchen and the dining room and quite often include the family room as well all as one great room. This allows the cook to be connected to everyone while working in the kitchen and is a more social and intimate space use and is a more desirable trend in kitchen designs these days.

When you have the kitchen and dining area or dining room and even the family room all in one big space a great way to visually designate the different areas is through the use of color and ceiling height. Having slightly separate tone on tone colors that vary slightly but are still in the same color family can help achieve this or even choosing colors that are not in the same color family but yet are still complimentary can also work out quite well too.

Another option in your remodel is to have the kitchen ceiling a little higher than the dining area. Dining is a more intimate activity and having the ceiling a little lower can create that cozy intimate feeling where as in the kitchen there is a lot of movement and activity going on and the more spacious it feels the more comfortable it will feel to move around in it. Having higher ceilings creates the illusion that the space is larger so having higher ceilings in the kitchen is something you might consider.

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